Breeding Shape: Lesser Black-Backed Gull

We went to Southport to try to find reported Little Gulls and Black Headed Gulls. Instead we found a bunch of Bonaparte Gulls in varying degrees of transition plumage. Sometimes I wonder about these reports.

But someone at the beach told us about a Lesser Black-Backed Gull just down the road. We found it in a mixed gull flock. Our first ever.

The back was certainly less dark than the Greater Black-Backed Gull, and the size distinction was a bit less than I had anticipated. But there was no doubt with the legs, a bright yellow. The gull stayed put, and then flew around a bit. Worth the trip afterall.